Maximum Ride: Max
by OwlsWingProductions
Summary: Fourth (4th) book of this series. Slight cross-over, not a lot, there's more in the next book after this one. Fax. WARNING!: There is some content in this story that may be too dark, intense, or mature for younger viewers, please read ahead with caution!
1. Chess Pieces

What's up everyone? I'm back with the **fourth (4th) installment** of my MR series! It's REALLY exciting because this is where everything begins! This book sets up everything for the final book in the series by **introducing the cross-over**!

Now, **you don't need to watch the shows** - or read the books - of the other stories to understand this book. I'm making that clear right now. I'm not going to bother listing all of the other stories that will be in the cross-over because that takes too long.

I ask that you do not Flame my story. Please, if you do not like it and feel the need to express yourself, leave constructive criticism so I may take your advice and put it to use. Flames with no reason will be taken down and I will be sad. :'(

"Talking."  
_"Thinking & Mind Communication."_  
**Disclaimer!: I do not own anything in this story except for the plot.**

Max - 15, Orange-brown wings w/ cream-colored underside. (Peregrine Falcon/Barn Owl)  
Fang - 15, Black wings (Forest Raven)  
Spike - 16, Red-orange wings with black tips (Red Kite)  
Iggy - 13, Blue, grey and white wings (Western Scrub Jay)  
Nudge - 11, Gold wings with black tips (Goldfinch)  
Gazzy - 9, Brown, black and gold wings with a few white dots (Kestrel)  
Angel - 7, Pure white wings (Snow Petrel)  
Total - Gray with white speckles (I love that word! Speckles! ^.^)  
Ella - 13, Human.  
Ari - 10, Eraser-pup, golden-brown fur.  
Dylan - 1, Brown, black and white wings. (Osprey)  
Devin - 15, Robotic hand, Never misses a shot & Hand-to-hand combat training.  
Rachet - 15, Super senses & Street smarts.  
Holden - 14, Starfish.  
Star - 15, Super speed.  
Kate - 15, Super Strength.  
Supporting Characters: Dr. Martinez, Dr. John Abate, Paul & Bryan Carey, Kyoshu.

_**Maximum Ride: Max - Prologue: Chess Pieces**_

The man smiled, pleased with what appeared on the monitors before him, and spun his chair around to face the opposite wall, where hundreds of monitors made up one large map of the entire world. Red dots marked specific points on the map.

With all of the bird-children out of the way, he was free to continue on with his plans. That pesky Flock that had infatuated his most important creation, was now a thing of the past. Especially the disgusting, vulgar Halfbreed. His presence had caused more than just one problem. Had he mated with Maximum, the results would have been disastrous.

No. Now Maximum would be protected from the likes of him. She would breed only with those he approved and her offspring would be purebred.

The man turned back to the monitors that showed the faces of the Flock. The explosion left them damaged and broken, but unlike Maximum they could - and would - be easily replaced with new and better generations.

And Maximum would have to be retrained. He had been stupid to intrust her to the California laboratory. They had allowed her to leave the laboratory's grounds and then they had given her far too much freedom. Now she was rebellious and soft. He would fix that.

Yes. Finally, after roughly nine months of tribulations, he had finished this silly game. After so many battles, he had won the war.

He wasn't surprised though. It was as simple as a game of chess and all of the people were the pieces. But now the game was over. He had captured the Queen and trapped the King.

It was over. And they were powerless to stop him now.


	2. Where Am I?

_**Maximum Ride - Episode 1: Where Am I?**_

**-Iggy-**

I woke up to aches and pains that dragged me out of unconsciousness. I felt hard ground and thin needles of grass beneath me. I groaned and pushed myself up. I sat cross-legged, listening to everything around me, trying to figure out where I was.

I could hear the creeks of large trees swaying in the wind, but besides that everything was eerily quiet. I could smell flowers, moss and about three, maybe four, different types of trees. The air was hot and sticky with humidity.

I wanted to call out, to ask if Max or Fang or one of the others was there, but I couldn't hear any heartbeats or sense the presence of anyone else. I couldn't risk attracting unwanted attention.

I stood up and focused hard. Part of me wanted to be wild with panic because I was lost and I didn't have anyone to lead me through unknown terrain, but the larger part, the part that knew I had to stay calm and try to find my way back to the others - wherever they were - promptly squashed the other half.

I took deep breaths trying to figure out what was all around me. I knew I was in a small clearing surrounded by trees - I could feel the shadows of the trees looming over me - and I knew there were small flowers on the ground where I had been laying.

I took another deep breath, trying to gain a little insight on the land around me. I caught a sniff of something... strange and then a small, cloudy trail of reddish-pink disappeared as quickly as it appeared in the middle of the darkness that was my blindness.

"What was that?" I breathed, confused and shocked by what I had just seen.

A low growl brought me back to my senses and I swung around to face it, even though I was unable to see it. Whatever it was, it lunged, making the air shift around it. I dodged to one side as killer claws nicked my jaw, leaving behind four red lines that oozed blood.

I backed up, putting space between myself and the creature that was growling softly at me. The padding of its feet told me that it was pacing back and forth, trying to corner me.

I allowed it to advance on me, pushing me back until I was against the rough bark of a tree. The thing jumped and I shot upwards. A loud thump and the tree shaking slightly with the force let me know that the creature below wasn't exactly smart and I landed on one of the thick branches. The thing below let out a roar, but when it tried to climb the tree it fell back to the ground with a hard, dull thump.

I relaxed a little, knowing that it couldn't climb, and hoped that the trees were a safe place to stay until I came up with a plan.

I slowly moved back along the branch until I could lean my back against it's trunk and then I crossed my legs and ran my fingers along the cuts on my jaw. They weren't deep and the blood was already starting to clot, so I decided to worry about it later, after I'd dealt with the current problems of the creature below and trying to find out where I was.

I focused on my surroundings, relying on what senses I had left to help me out, and started to paint a picture in my head.

I already knew I was in some sort of forest or jungle area, that wasn't a question. I used the breeze in the tree tops to my advantage, letting it announce the placement of trees and the open spaces for flying. I could hear the tops of the trees high above me somewhere, cracking and whipping each other as the wind pushed and pulled their branches back and forth.

I could hear the heartbeat and the breathing of the animal that attacked me. I could smell it and I could feel the subtle vibrations of it's giant feet stomping on the ground - and the stronger vibrations of it tackling the tree.

Grayish-blue flashed through my vision and my hands shot up to rub my temples as pain ripped through my head, right behind my eyes. I rubbed my head and my eyes, after feeling them watering from the sudden and intense pain. I wondered what could have happened to make my head hurt so much and I tried to think of what I last remembered.

I remembered the rally... And then Max had a vision. It was about something important, but I couldn't remember what.

A particularly loud snarl broke me out of my thoughts and I felt the air about a foot below me shift as the creature swiped before falling back to earth.

"You're getting a little to close for my comfort." I called down to it, balancing on my feet on the branch. "Guess I'll have to go find another tree to think in." I spread my wings a bit for balance and then took a running leap off the end of the branch.

I flew through the trees, trying to fly slow enough to avoid hitting a tree face first, but also trying to lose the thing so it couldn't cause me any more trouble... For now, at least.

It took a good fifteen minutes before the pounding of four legs running and the panting of a large animal faded far back into the trees. I kept flying for another ten, just to be sure, and would have continued, had I not heard the sound of running water.

I landed on a smaller tree - that was still high enough to be out of reach - and listened close. I heard the gurgle of a stream sliding over rocks and I could smell the freshness of the water.

_"It may not be the safest place, but I'll need water eventually and as long as I stay up here, I should have some kind of warning to any attackers."_ I thought, letting my legs hang off the branch as I sat down. _"Now if only I knew where I was, or if I could remember what happened..."_ I heard a twig snap somewhere nearby and my ears twitched. After a moment I relaxed with a sigh, realizing that there was nothing there.

I decided to focus on my surroundings - again - so if I was attacked I would know what I had to work with in a fight. I got as far as I did the last - what was it? Three times? - and then I ran into the same problem: A flash of foggy color and then pain shot through my eyes.

I almost fell out of the tree when I shook my head and rubbed my eyes, so I backed up to the trunk again and made myself comfortable. I decided to try again, to see if I could figure out what was causing the pain and took another deep breath.

I listened close, letting my ears, nose and feelings spread out and create a picture in my head, but slower then before. I focused on just the sounds, letting the bubble of the stream and the swaying, creaking branches fill my ears. Once I had that, I slowly let the feeling of the breeze against my face and the bark of the tree against my skin join the sounds, giving me a rough gauge of where rocks, trees, logs and the like were placed. Finally I breathed in through my nose, letting the smell of moss, trees, the air, the flowers, the water and everything else waft around me.

The result was clouds of color. Greyish-blue clouds formed half-way into the shape of trees at the edge of a grey-blue colored clearing. Other colors fogged in, giving me tunnel vision with a blurry image at the end, but I could see it forming a picture. Not like normal vision, where everything is in bright, vibrant colors, it was darker colors and everything looked like a funny shaped cloud. I also couldn't see farther then about a foot in all directions before it faded into black again.

It didn't last. Sneering laughter cut through it and I lost concentration, causing pain to shoot through my eyes and all of whatever I was seeing to disappear.

Something hit the side of my head, knocking me out of the tree and I fell on a rock, bruising my side. The laughter got louder and the stench and the footsteps next to my head told me that Erasers were looming over me.

"Well, look at what we have here." One of them crowed. "I thought it was just a rumor, but here it is, one of the birdies here on the island." I counted at least four other voices as they jeered along with their friend. I clenched my jaw and pushed myself up onto my elbows and knees.

"Hey, look at him! This bird-brain has got a bit of fight in him!" Another mocked me and in the next instant a foot connected to my non-injured side, sending me rolling down a small, but rocky slope that ended with a splash in the creek.

I spat out the water and dirt that had managed to get in my mouth and struggled to my feet as the Erasers slid down the slope. I jumped back, so incredibly lucky to not have fallen on the slippery rocks, and placed the tiny river between me and the Erasers.

"Well, well, well. Spunky, aren't you?" One of them cackled. I backed up as I heard splashes and ripples that told me they were crossing the water.

"Hey, wait a minute..." The one that had spoken first paused a moment and then he burst out laughing. "This little birdie's as blind as a bat!" He barked. I shifted backwards as they all joined him in his mirth.

I decided not to stick around any longer and swung around, sprinting into the forest. Yells of excitement went up as the Erasers started to follow, happy to have a victim to chase.

I barely skimmed by trees and stumbled over rocks or fallen branches several times, but I kept running, kept trying to find just a large enough space for me to take off and shoot into the trees. If I could just manage to get into the trees, none of them would be able to catch me then.

Their snarls and their barks got closer as sweat started to drip down my forehead. I made a split-second decision and made a sharp left turn, hoping to throw them off, at least a little bit, and jumped over a log just as I was about to run into it.

"C'mere little bird!" One of them called out. "We just wanna have a nice, friendly chat!"

"Yeah! And then we'll rip your head off your shoulders!" Another chortled close by. I only ran faster, ignoring the pain in my legs and lungs as I brushed past bushes and ferns that tickled my arms and face.

The ground suddenly dropped and I yelled as I tumbled head-over-heels down a steep hill, covered in underbrush. I rolled to a stop at the bottom and the sound of boots sliding against dirt, rocks and dried leaves announced the quick arrival of the Erasers.

I scrambled to my feet and started extending my wings, flapping them in anticipation. I jumped and my wings pumped about two or three times before I felt a net fall on them. The more I moved the more tangled I became and within ten seconds I fell to the ground with a thud.

I struggled against the net as footsteps approached me and the hot, nasty-smelling breath in my face told me the proximity of one of the Erasers.

"Now how simple was that?" The first one said, his stench making my nose run. "And these things are supposed to be legendary. Impossible to catch my ass."

The others voiced their agreements as the first one pulled me up to my feet by the shirt. He pushed me towards the others and two of them caught me by the arms, holding me in place as their little group leader circled around to the front. The last one grabbed my hair and yanked my head back so they could see my face.

Suddenly there was a fist trying to force it's way into my stomach from the outside and I gagged, doubling over the arm of the head Eraser. This brought chuckles from him and his friends, so he grabbed my hair and held my head in place as he broke my nose with his knee. Blood spilled onto my upper lip and he used the back of his fist to hit me across the cheek.

"You aren't done yet, are you?" The Eraser paused in his beating to mock me and anger swelled up inside of me. I gathered up all the saliva and blood that I could and spat on what I hoped was his face, but in reality was probably a little lower then that considering they were fall grown Erasers, at least a head taller then me.

"Why you little brat!" He bellowed and gave me a round-house kick to the cheek. I flew about half a foot, bounced twice and then rolled three times until I finally laid on my side, breathing hard. "Get up and fight! I'm going to enjoy this." He snapped and I gritted my teeth as I struggled to get to my feet.

I wiped off the blood on my upper lip and stepped into a defensive stance. I heard him advancing and I ducked to avoid his swing, lunging in to jab his stomach. I landed the hit, but he grabbed the back of my shirt and threw me. I hit a tree and fell onto the ground on my side.

My body trembled in protest as I forced myself to my hands and knees. I could hear the Eraser approaching and his friends egging him on. I made my arms use the tree to pull myself up onto wobbly knees.

He was coming faster now and every one of my feathers were shaking with exhaustion and pain. He yelled and I lunged at the ground, sweeping my leg in a long arch to swipe his feet out from under him. He went flying over me and slammed head first into the tree.

I used the pause in the battle to run a few feet and then shoot up into the air, away from the four Erasers. They yelled and roared their fury at me and I knew I hadn't seen the last of them, but for now I had gotten away and I could prepare for the next time we met.

I flew for about ten minutes before my wings gave out and I dropped to the forest floor. I decided to keep going because I knew I wasn't far enough away to be safe and if they were following me they'd be on top of me in just a few minutes.

I ran, not a full out sprint like before because I didn't want to stumble or fall down any more slopes, but enough to cover as much distance as possible, fast.

Eventually I got tired and slowed to a stop, leaning against a tree for support, I slid down to sit on the ground. Sweat covered most of my body and blood was still leaking out of my nose. I kept my ears open, though, just in case.

I started to doze, almost nodding off a couple of times, and my senses were dulled by sleepiness. Suddenly, I heard a twig snap and ears twitched as I tensed up, mentally preparing myself for round two - whether it be with that creature, or the Erasers, or something entirely different.

I slowly, very slowly, got to my feet, listening to the shuffling sounds in the underbrush. My head swiveled this way and that as I tried to focus on the sound and where it was coming from. When I finally pin-pointed where it was, it stopped and everything was strangely silent.

I crept forward quietly, readying myself for a fight. When I was roughly five feet from the large plant in front of me, something burst out with a snarl and rammed into me with it's full force.

**AN:** Poor Iggy. He's all alone and things keep attacking him. I hope you guys liked the very first chapter of my fourth story! R&REVIEW! -Owl.


	3. What Happened?

**_Maximum Ride - Episode 2: What Happened?_**

**-Angel-**

_"What's that sound?"_ I thought. I was tired and my arm really hurt. Opening my eyes was really, really hard, but I wanted to know what that sound was.

There was a double-door in front of me. Dark grey, metal walls made up a big box around me. I blinked a few times because my eyes were stinging and then I sat up. I noticed the only light in the box was coming from the small, rectangle of a window that was blocked off by chicken wire. I could hear laughter from the others side and I listened hard.

"So what do you think this thing is so important for?" One of two boys asked. I could hear some of their thoughts, but my head was still a little fuzzy with the sleepies.

"I heard something about it being able to read peoples minds." The second one, he was only half paying attention to the conversation, the other half was focused on the road. They were in a car, driving somewhere.

"No way! That thing? But it's tiny!" The first one, the passenger, exclaimed.

"Yeah, I know. Apparently it mutated on it's own and developed the skill after just a year of living in the mountains with the other bird-children. They're hoping to figure out what genes created the ability so they can copy them and make more like that one in the back." The driver explained.

"Itex has some big plans, don't they?" The passenger asked, sounding intrigued by the conversation.

I didn't want to listen anymore. I crawled over to the double doors at the back of the car and tugged on the handle, but it wouldn't budge. The car came to a sudden stop and I fell backwards onto my bottom as the driver cursed and hit the wheel.

"Ah, damn light!" He growled. I crawled back to the front of the box and carefully peeked through the chicken wire. Both of the guys were bored and quiet, but I was worried and trying really hard to find a way out.

_"This window looks like it might be big enough for me to squeeze through, if I pulled off all of the chicken wire."_ I smiled, sliding down to the floor. I would wait until they were distracted and then I would be able to rip off the chicken wire and slip right out the front door. I just had to be patient.

I sat and waited for what felt like hours, but when I worked up the nerve to sneak a peek at the clock it was really only twenty-five minutes. The two guys in the front seats talked about random grown-up stuff like work and laughed at jokes that didn't make any sense to me, but I waited, picking up what I could from their thoughts.

I managed to figure out a few things. I was in Orlando, Florida, they were taking me to new headquarters of Itex and the passenger man really had to use the bathroom.

"Hey, man, pull over into this gas station, I gotta piss something fierce." He grunted uncomfortably.

"Yeah, okay. We're running low in the tank anyways." The driver shrugged in agreement and I felt the car make a really tight turn on the off-ramp-thingy.

I tried looking through their thoughts one last time, to see if they knew anything else important 'cause that's what Max would do, but I couldn't find anything. I didn't know where the others were and the last thing I remembered was fighting with Jeanne. I really hoped everyone was okay.

The car stopped and the engine stopped humming. I heard two doors open and slam close again, so I popped up, gripping the chicken wire with my fingers. I looked to make sure both of them were going into the store and then I braced my feet against the wall and pulled as hard as I could.

The wire was pretty thin, but it was hard to pull it off. When it finally came loose it unraveled into pokey, zig-zaggy strands of wire that hung from the nails on the corners. I fell back and rolled over backwards.

I shook my head and then scrambled to the window. The strands of wire got in my way, tangling my hair, poking me and scratching me. But I finally wriggled through the tiny window and fell head-first onto the middle seat.

I looked up and saw the two guys coming out of the store. I got scared and one of them looked up at the car. I squeaked and ducked as he squinted at me. I heard him talking to the other guy about seeing something and I tried to focus on their brains.

_"I know I saw something..."_ The passenger, and the one who had seen me, was thinking. I rushed to put a new thought in his head and I heard him yell in pain.

_"I guess that was a little too rushed..."_ I winced and used the time I had bought myself to focus on their minds. _"A candy bar sounds really good. Why don't you go buy one?"_

I very slowly poked my head up, keeping everything below my eyes underneath the window, and saw the two pause for a moment. I kept my focus on them, narrowing my eyebrows with the effort, and they looked confused for a moment.

They turned to each other and started talking, scratching their heads like they forgot what they were about to do, and then the driver guy hit the other guy on the shoulder and pointed towards the store. The passenger guy nodded and they started back towards the entrance to the gas station.

I sighed in relief as I saw the door close behind them and then crawled over to the door farthest away from the door, so the car would hide me if they happened to look out the window. I opened the door and slid down onto the ground.

I tripped, my knees really wobbly, but I caught myself before I fell over. I closed the door as quietly as I could so I wouldn't attract attention and then I checked to make sure the coast was clear one last time, before I ran as fast as I could to the side of the building.

It was the middle of the day, but there wasn't anyone around and when I looked up at the roof I didn't see any cameras, so I went around to the back of the gas station where there were a couple of dumpsters.

I shook out my wings, then stopped. Where should I go? Should I try to go back to Paris? Would anyone even be there?

My feathers drooped and I looked around, scared. If only Max were with me! She would know what to do. She always knew what to do. But I didn't know where Max was. I didn't know how to get back to her. I didn't know how to find her.

I sniffed and swallowed, trying not to cry. _"Max wouldn't cry if she was lost."_ I told myself. _"I just have to be like Max. First I have to get away and find a safe place to stay until I know where I'm going to go."_

I held my chin up and pushed my wings down, flying up over the roof of the gas station and up even higher until I knew I would be just a tiny little black dot to anyone who looked up.

_"Just be like Max. Be strong."_ I kept repeating to myself.

* * *

A white van with nothing on it pulled up to the building across the street as three people in white coats came out to greet the drivers.

It wasn't particularly late, only about ten-thirty, but the surrounding streets were abandoned. The quiet that hung in the air made it quite easy for two eavesdropping girls to 'overhear' the conversation below.

The men it white coats started yelling at the the two men from the car. They were angry because the back of the car was completely empty. Whatever they had been looking forward to receiving had gone missing.

"I knew we should have sent a professional squad to guard it! Those things can disappear into thin air!" One of the men glowered at the drivers.

"Well, they've gotten themselves into a pickle, haven't they?" One of the girls giggled, peering down at the scene from the roof top across the street.

"They really should have taken that job more seriously. Just because the mind-reader is the youngest, doesn't mean she's any less of a threat." The other girl said, standing next to the first girl, who was crouching at the edge of the roof.

"Why don't we go meet the bird-kid?" The first girl suggested.

"You're right. We should give her a proper welcome." The two giggled together and in a flash, they were gone.

* * *

It was hours later, but eventually I landed in a park with plenty of trees to sleep in. I was tired after flying for so long and my tummy was hurting because I was hungry. I was awake enough to know that I needed to pick a tree that was out of the way, off to the side, so no one would see me unless they came right up to it.

I found a good tree in one of the back corners of the park where litter and lost tennis balls were left behind. I climbed up and tried to get comfortable on the branch, but it was cold and I wasn't used to sleeping in a tree without Max right beside me.

I couldn't fall asleep, so I stayed up and thought about what I would do in the morning. I needed food, that had to be first. I decided I would either have to steal food from someone's picnic, or go dumpster diving like Max had taught me, and I didn't really like the idea of stealing, so I decided I would find a fast-food place and pick out what was still good.

After food I knew I need to find a way to get back to Max and the others. Even just one of them would be a huge comfort. I knew the best place to start would be Paris, even though I had no idea on how to get there.

I sighed and sniffed again. _"I guess I'll spend tomorrow thinking of a way to get to Paris."_ I thought sadly and shifted awkwardly onto my side. _"I just hope there's someone to find when I get there..."_

I woke up really early the next morning because a smaller branch in the tree broke off and fell on top of me. I looked up and saw that the sky was still a dark blue color with a pretty dark pink in the West.

It was before dawn.

I groaned and rubbed my eyes, wondering if this is how Max felt every night - She was good at hiding things, but I knew she didn't get much sleep ever. I jumped out of the tree, still bleary-eyed from sleep, but I also knew I wouldn't be able to get any more sleepy time. The tree was too uncomfortable and I missed the others too much.

I shook my head and rubbed my eyes one last time before shaking out my wings. Time to get serious. I had to find some food and then I had to get to Paris.

I stopped suddenly, though, when I noticed something that hadn't been there the night before. I looked down at the food. There was bread, cheese and some salami, all placed neatly on a clean, white napkin.

I looked around to see if anyone was nearby, but the park was deserted. I looked down at the food again and my mouth started to water. I was really hungry...

"You can go ahead and eat it." A voice giggled and my head snapped up to see two sets of eyes looking up at me from a bush.

"Ah!" I yelled, stumbling backwards in surprise. "W-who are you?" I demanded, trying to look tough, like Max, as I focused on their minds.

"Don't worry, we got that stuff just for you." The second pair of eyes blinked in a friendly way as their owner spoke.

"How do I know it's not poisoned?" I asked, turning my nose up to the food, but keeping my eyes on the mysterious pair. The moment was ruined by my stomach grumbling loudly.

I blushed lightly as the two voices giggled. The bushes leaves were pushed apart and two figures, just about three inches taller then me, came out smiling. Their eyes were kind, their smiles friendly and, most importantly, their thoughts sincere.

"You don't have to be afraid, we're a lot like you!" The one with pitch-black hair smiled cutely at me and her friend nodded.

"That's right. We're here to help you." The other one had snow-white hair and her voice was calmer then the first one's. She was obviously the older of the two, but it was hard to tell with just the looks.

I poked at their thoughts, trying to find something wrong that would tell me they were bad guys, but they both were honest in what they were doing. They wanted to help me. I wasn't sure why, but I was guessing it had something to do with the kitty-cat ears and tails that poked out of their hair and from behind them.

I wasn't sure if I could trust them, but something was telling me I could.

And if there's one thing Max taught me, it was to always follow my heart.

"Well, in that case, I guess, my names Angel."

**AN:** Hey! Isn't Angel just adorable? Anyways, I hope you liked the chapter! R&REVIEW! -Owl.


	4. What's Going On?

_**Maximum Ride - Episode 3: What's Going On?**_

**-Fang-**

My mouth was dry and everything was sore. I rubbed my jaw with one hand because my molar teeth were still buzzing with the electric shock I had received who knows how long ago? I slowly sat up, cringing at the stiffness in my muscles and the achiness in my back.

I looked around and my eyes widened slightly at what I saw. I was sitting on a cot in the corner of a jail cell. The concrete that was the floor was smooth, hard and cold, there was a toilet next to the cot that just kind of stuck out of the wall and the front of the cell was closed and locked by metal bars.

All together it was a miserable little room that was about twelve by six feet. A cage built for humans.

And it was still better then a dog crate.

I almost wanted to laugh at what humans called a punishment. They gave me a toilet, that alone is a thousand times better then the dog crate. For the first ten years of my life, I was forced to roll around in my own piss and crap - except for those rare times when someone decided that I was filthy and my cage needed cleaning. On top of that, I had a bed. Sure it was a shoddy little cot, but I've slept on worse.

It kind of made me disappointed, in a way. When everything was over and all the bad guys were exposed to the world, this would be their punishment? Life in prison, where they have a shelter against the elements, where they get food and so many other things we had to live without?

They're punishment wouldn't be anything close to what they did to thousands of kids just like me and the others. Heck, who even knew if the humans would put them in jail? They could just as easily give them an award for their work with human genetics.

It's times like these when I wonder if what we're doing for them is really worth all the trouble.

I didn't have much longer to ponder the fact, because a bell rang and three men in suits stopped in front of my cell. I swung my legs over the side so I could sit with my elbows rested on my knees as one of the three guys unlocked my cell.

Only one of them actually stepped inside, my guess would be because of the lack of space, and the other two waited by the door. The guy who stood in front of me, looking down at me as I raised an eyebrow at him, he reached into his suit and pulled out something that resembled a wallet.

"Bonjour." He said in a heavy, French accent and showed me his official looking badge. "I am Gradasso Savard. I work for the French government and I have some questions for you." It was easy to see that this guy didn't speak in English too often, but I could understand what he was saying.

"I have questions too, but I doubt they'll get answered." I retorted, not really in the mood for being interrogated. I had no idea where I was or what was happening. Call me prissy, but I'm not talking.

"It is a matter of global security." He told me sternly.

"You shot me with two poison darts and a taser!" I shot back and I could see the sweat starting to gather on his temples. Not because he was nervous, but because he was annoyed and trying hard to hide it.

He huffed and opened the folder that had been tucked under his arm the entire time. He pulled out the first paper and placed it on top so he could read it. "What is your name?" He asked me.

"Nick." I said flatly and 'Gradasso' looked surprised that I actually answered. He scribbled down my answer onto the paper and read on.

"And... How old are you?" He trailed the 'and' as he finished writing.

"Fifteen." Yeah. Because my age is the most important piece of information they could ask for.

"Very good." Gradasso nodded at me and quickly wrote down the number. "Do you have any special abilities?" He raised an eyebrow at me carefully.

I looked up at the ceiling, pretending to genuinely think about it. "You mean besides my fashion sense? I play a mean harmonica."

He stared at me for a moment and then checked off something on his paper. "Have you ever heard of anyone named Jeb Batchelder?" He met my gaze on this one, showing me a picture of Jeb. I gave no reaction and shook my head.

"Never seen him before." I shrugged, bored. His brow furrowed slightly, but he didn't push the question any further, discarding the picture and pulling out another one. This one was a blurry, black-and-white photo of an Eraser, half-morphed.

"Have you ever seen anything like this?" He continued to harass me with questions and I really hoped that for once this would be easy and they would let me go once I was done bull-shitting my answers to their questions, questions, _questions_.

"No... What is that?" I squinted at the image, putting on a show for the sake of the lie.

Gradasso didn't bother giving me a reply. He discarded the picture to the side, with the other one, and picked up his pen again, writing in the folder for a moment before looking up again.

"Have you ever heard of a place called the School?" He sighed it more then anything else. He was tired with this and annoyed. Good. "We think it's in California. Have you ever been to California."

"No, but I hear the girls hot." I informed him and his straight face dropped into an exasperated frown.

"Listen, Nick." He started tensely and I smirked in amusement. "We know you were involved in the explosion that occurred four days ago at the Place de la Concorde -"

"Four days?" I asked, my face blank, but my mind racing. Four days. Four days since we were all knocked out by the explosion. I didn't know where I was, let alone everyone else, and I had no way of finding everyone.

"Yes. You healed extremely quickly." Gradasso seemed pleased that he finally had some knowledge that I showed interest in. "The Doomsday Group, the organization that held the rally, spoke of enhanced beings and killing all the humans. We find it very interesting that after this rally, we find a young boy with wings and the ability to heal ten times faster then the average human being. Perhaps you'd like to give us an explanation?"

"I'm not telling you anything." I growled. French government or not, they had hidden motives. I was sure of that.

"Well. Maybe if we were to offer you something in exchange for your cooperation?" Gradasso laced his fingers together and I glared at him.

"Like what?" I felt my skin crawl with uneasiness as Gradasso motioned one of the other guys forward. The guy reached into his suit and handed Gradasso something that was wrapped in a clean, white cloth.

"You see, Nick, when we found you, we searched you for any weapons you may have been carrying." He said, unwrapping the little white bundle. "We found this in your jacket." He held up a syringe with a crack in the side - not big enough to spill what was inside the small tube, though.

It was the Cleansing Serum.

The Cleansing Serum was the cure to a sickness that was slowly growing inside of Max. It had been the first mission my Gang and I had ever completed together as a team. I had gone over the plan with them so many times because I knew how important it was that I get the Serum for Max.

We had put off injecting the Serum because Max had insisted that the Doomsday Group problem was more important, which I couldn't deny because Max could've gone another month or two without the Serum before it became a dire situation, where as everyone in the Place de la Concorde had only had a few hours before everything exploded.

I remembered that I had brought it with me in case something happened and we were all captured. That way we would've had it if Max needed it, but now it was in the hands of someone who wanted to know everything about us and I didn't know why.

"Now, we did a little research to find out just what 'C. Serum' stood for and we know that this little bit of liquid could save the life of any mutant the School created." Gradasso smiled, his eyes glittering with pleasure as I scowled at him. I should have taken the label off the side of the syringe. "So, who is it, Nick? A brother or sister? A close friend? Or, maybe, a special girl? -"

"What the hell do you want from me?" I snarled and Gradasso waved his finger at me.

"Oh, no, no, no. It's what you want to do, so you can get this antidote to save that special girl of yours." Gradasso smiled casually at me, like we were having a friendly chat. "That is why you were suddenly so aggressive, isn't it? You're worried about the girl you planned to give this to. Well, do as we say and you'll be free to go before you can say 'Vive la France!'."

Gradasso tucked the Cleansing Serum into his suit jacket and patted my knee. He stood up and walked out of my cell and I didn't even raise my eyes from the ground. I just sat there, glaring at the floor. The clang of the metal bars announced the closing of the door and they locked my cell with a click and the jangling of many keys.

"We will return once everything is prepared for you." Gradasso told me. I didn't look up. "Sleep well, mon ami."

With that they left, their polished shoes clicking on the concrete floor, and a shrill bell notified everyone within a hundred miles that they were leaving the prison area of... who knows where?

I clenched my fists and swung around, punching the wall with all of my strength. I kept my eyes shut tight, trying to collect my thoughts so I could find a way out of this mess.

They had the Cleansing Serum. One of only two in the whole world. Max needed that cure, it was the only thing that was going to make her better, so I had to do whatever I could to get it back. Meanwhile, Max was somewhere out in the world - most likely taken away by strange people to a strange place, like me - getting sicker and sicker every day.

I laid down on my cot, rubbing my face with my hands and then looking up at the ceiling. I had to get the Cleansing Serum back, I had to find Max and the others and, in the end, I could only hope that everyone survived the explosion at all.

I rolled onto my side, wishing we were back home, wishing Max was in my arms and the Flock was tucked safely into their beds in the other rooms. I closed my eyes, trying to force myself to sleep so I would have energy when Gradasso and his underlings came to get me, but all I could see was their faces.

I opened my eyes and rolled onto my other side. I closed my eyes again and I saw her face. It was my Max and she was smiling at me. I gave in and let my thoughts wander to her. I thought about her eyes, her stubbornness, her fighting skills, her loving and nurturing nature towards the younger kids, her soft hair, her silky skin...

I rolled onto my back and opened my eyes, but I didn't see the white ceiling of my prison cell above me. Instead I was speeding through forests, cities, mountains, over the surface of lakes and through buildings faster then I could take it all in.

_Finally, the chaos stopped and I was standing in the middle of a pure white room that almost glowed with how white it was. There was a small, white bed in one corner and my eyes widened when I saw the person laying on top of it._

_Max was curled up into a ball on her side. Her waist rose and fell gently with every breath and her eyes were closed in a dreamless sleep._

_"Max!" I called out to her, but my voice echoed strangely and she didn't even stir._

_I walked over to her and reached down to shake her awake, but my hand... disappeared? It looked like it was just a reflection of light or like a 3-D movie, my hand was there and I could see it, but every time I tried to touch Max it was like she was out of my reach._

_"What's going on?" I muttered kneeling beside the bed so my face could be level with Max's._

_Her head and upper arm were the only parts of her that I could see that were bandaged. She wore the white hospital dress that all the female experiments at the School were forced to wear and I felt my stomach twist painfully._

_She was back there. Back at the School. Back in that nightmare._

_I wanted to scream with frustration and to fly to California as fast as I possibly could, but screaming wouldn't help anyone and I wasn't even sure if Max was at the California School. She could've been at a School anywhere in the world._

_I reached out, trying to push a lock of hair out of her face, but I couldn't touch her._

_She was just out of my reach._

**AN:** Aww, poor Fang. I hope you guys liked the chapter! R&REVIEW! -Owl.


	5. Where Could We Go?

**_Maximum Ride - Episode 4: Where Could We Go?_**

**-The Gasman-**

I groaned as I opened my eyes and sat up, stretching after a long sleep in an awkward position. My stomach grumbled loudly and I looked around.

I yelped and scrambled to the back corner of my cage. I was in a dog crate and the room it was in was dark. I could see other cages lining the walls and creating islands in the middle of the room, but inside the other cages were the things from my nightmares. Failed experiments groaning as they die and a horrible stench that even I couldn't ignore.

I thought back, trying to remember what happened, and a bunch of images and thoughts came crashing into my brain at once. I rubbed my head, slowly sorting through everything and gathering what I could from it.

Obviously I'd been knocked out by the explosion and the whitecoats had captured me while I was unconscious. I wondered if the others had been captured to, or if they had escaped and were trying to find me.

I peered at the cages around me, but all I found were dark shadows and things I wished I could unsee. I slouched when I realized I was alone, then I clenched my fists. I had to get out of there, I had to find the others.

I clambered over to the front of my cage and jiggled the lock. It was a standard padlock that could be easily popped open if I had the right tools...

"Hello?" I yelped again and fell backwards, hitting my head against the bottom of my cage. I sat up, rubbing the sore spot tenderly, and grumbled to myself. "I'm sorry." A quiet voice said from somewhere in the dark. "I didn't mean to startle you."

"Huh?" I asked, looking around for the owner of the voice. "Who are you? Where are you?"

"Over here." That same voice called. I followed it and my gaze landed on the stack of crates across the walkway from me. I looked two cages to the right and down until I was looking at the one on the very bottom of the stack.

A pair of honey-colored eyes stared at me through the darkness. They twinkled shyly and I smiled. Maybe I wasn't completely alone after all.

"Hi." I murmured, trying to stay quiet in case the whitecoats were listening. "I'm Gasman, but you can call me Gazzy. What's your name?"

"Oh, I'm Rachel." The higher-pitched voice murmured back, sounding self-conscious. I heard something swish in the darkness of her cage and I wondered what it was.

"That's a nice name." I said, tilting my head a bit as I thought on it.

"Thank you. I -I gave it to myself wh-when I heard about you." She stuttered a bit, embarrassed.

"You've heard about me?" I asked, surprised that she knew anything outside the laboratory. Most experiments didn't know anything about the outside world, but this one had a name, so she was obviously different.

"W-well, you and the other bird-kids. You're legends in places like this." Rachel told me quietly.

"Legends? We're legends?" I was kinda lost.

"Yeah, Maximum Ride, The Flock. We hear stories about you guys all the time. Those of us who survive the testing and the torture and the experimenting, well, you give us hope." She spoke excitedly, in awe of it all, but then she got shy again.

"How on earth do we do that? I mean, it's great, but... We're constantly chased all the time and we're always fighting..." I thought about all the cuts and bruises I'd gotten just in the past few months alone.

"That's why!" Rachel exclaimed. "You guys were the first and only people to ever escape the School. You fight against the whitecoats every day and you never give up! Maximum Ride and her Flock of bird-kids, it's the stories about you guys that keep me hopeful. I don't have nightmares about experiments anymore, not since I heard about you. Now I have dreams about being free and seeing the world outside."

"Wow... I didn't know there were still mutants waiting to be let out of their cages..." I suddenly felt guilty.

"I don't blame you. Most of everything that ends up in here looks like those poor things." She meant the piles of limbs that were slowly dying inside their cage. "I didn't think you'd waste your time looking for the few of us that were left, but I never lost hope that maybe one of you would find me..."

"She never stops talking about you guys either." Another voice spoke out and my eyes followed it to the one just above Rachel's. A pair of sleepy, green eyes blinked at me. "It's always Maximum Ride this, Maximum Ride that. She's obsessed."

"Herbie!" Rachel squeaked and a loud thump came from their crates. "That's not funny!"

"So, you have a name too?" I looked at the green eyes.

"Yeah. My names Herbie." He yawned and then continued. "Rachel's not wrong. The stories about you guys do lift the spirits of those of us stuck in places like this. Rachel just talks and talks and talks -"

"Herbie!" Rachel interrupted him and Herbie snickered. I grinned. These two seemed like great company.

"So, do you guys know where we are?" I asked.

"The Institute." Herbie replied grimly. "The place they send failures to be retired."

"Every mutant that gets sent here has something wrong with it that they see as a failure." Rachel's eyes looked sad.

"Well, I guess they think a wacky digestive system is a failure." I grinned sheepishly as two pairs of eyes stared at me strangely. "They don't call me The Gasman for nothing, you know. So what do they think is wrong with you?"

"Well, Herbie's a porcupine mutant and -" Rachel was cut off as Herbie sneezed. The sneeze was quickly followed by what sounded like a hundred little thumps and I laughed.

"That's awesome!" I laughed, falling backwards happily. When I sat back up, Rachel and Herbie were recovering from their own giggles. "What about you, Rachel?"

"There's nothing really wrong with my mutation it's just that... I'm not really... Special. I can't fly. I don't have super senses. I don't have super speed or strength... I'm just a failure in general I guess." She joked weakly.

"But she can climb faster than a monkey." Herbie stepped in, trying to lift her mood. "And she's clever. A fast thinker."

"That's not a really common skill." I agreed. "A lot of the people I know had to work really hard to be fast thinkers. It doesn't come naturally to a lot of people."

"Really?" Rachel's eyes looked up into mine and I nodded, even though she couldn't see it.

"It's something special." I told her. She didn't reply, but I had a good feeling that she was smiling. "Maybe both of you could use your special skills and help me escape." I suggested after a long pause.

"You want us to help you?" Rachel breathed in awe.

"Yeah. We can escape this place together and you guys can help me find my Flock. I'm sure Max and the others would love to have you guys come along with us. Plus, I can't just leave you here. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if I did." I looked at both of them. Their eyes were wide, but also shone with excitement and hope.

"Where would we go?" Herbie asked. "Do you know where the Flock is?"

"Well..." I trailed thinking back. "The last thing I remember, we were all in Paris. Then something blew up and everything's black after that. So, Paris would probably be the best place to start looking. And if I remember correctly the Institute is in New York. Yeah. That might be a problem..."

"...So even if we do get out of here, we have nowhere to go?" Rachel sounded heartbroken and I didn't want to let her down. I had only known her for a few minutes, but we were both mutants and all she wanted was to be free, just like me.

If only there was some place else we could go...

I hit my open palm with my fist and grinned. "I've got it!" I announced. "I know exactly where we're gonna go, but first we gotta get out of here."

I looked around in the dark, straining my eyes, even with raptor vision, to see everything a little clearer. I could see an electric panel with wires sticking out one side. It was on the wall next to the door, at the end of the row. I thought for a minute and then I got an idea.

"Hey, Herbie? Toss me one of your quills, would you?" I reached my hand through the bars on my cage and I heard Herbie shuffle around a bit before feeling a long needle land sloppily in my hand.

"What do you need it for?" Herbie asked curiously.

"Just wait. Rachel, you're wearing one of those hospital dresses right?" I looked at her cage and her eyes showed confusion.

"Uh, yeah, why?"

"Well, something I remember from when I was at the School with the rest of the Flock was that those dresses were cheap and they always started to fray after just one or two experiments." I explained, but she still seemed lost.

"Yeah, so? They replace them once a year." Rachel reminded me.

"What I need is for you to pull one of those strings until its about... ten feet long?" I looked at her hopefully and then I heard her shift a bit. I waited for a while and when I was about to ask her if she was still awake, Rachel started talking.

"I hope this is ten feet. I haven't exactly had a math class before so if you need more, let me know." She said and a tiny ball of string landed just inside my cage.

"This is great, thanks." I smiled and started tying the string to one end of the porcupine quill.

"What exactly are you doing?" Herbie questioned as I finished tying off the thread.

"I'm getting us out of here." I told him simply, taking aim with the quill. I threw it like a dart at a dartboard and it hit just to the left of the wires sticking out of the panel. I fished it back and tried again. I got the right spot, but it didn't go all the way through and fell out.

I tried several more times until finally, I managed to get it caught on the wires securely enough for my plan to work. I pulled on the string to make sure the needle would stay and then I yanked it as hard as I could.

I heard something metal and flat clatter to the floor and a few electric shocks flashed in the dark room, but other then that it was quiet and I pulled the wires to me without a problem.

"Now comes the fun part." I said giddily as I took the wires in my hands and untangled them from the string and quill.

"What are you gonna do with that?" Rachel inquired, watching me as I looked over what I had.

"I'm gonna blow up this stupid lock and then I'm going to get you and Herbie out of here." I promised her, sticking two wires together and making sparks fly.

**AN:** Hello! I hope you guys enjoyed this cute little chapter. R&REVIEW! -Owl.


	6. What Are They Doing?

_**Maximum Ride - Episode 5: What Are They Doing?**_

**-Nudge-**

"Ow..." I mumbled, slowly opening my eyes. The room I was in was small and dark, the wooden door was cracked and the paint was peeling, it was so old. The only light came from under it because there weren't any windows in the room and the only thing inside it - besides me - was the thin, dirty mat I was laying on.

"Ew." I cringed when I realized the dark smudges on my hands and arms had come from the mat. "Max, where are -Max?" I looked around, but no one else was inside the room. Everything came back to me slowly, first Paris, then the rally, and then the explosion.

"Oh, no. What happened? Where am I? I hope the others are okay. Oh, gosh, what if they're not? What if the whitecoats got them and they're all going through horrible experiments right now? And what's gonna happen to me? This doesn't look like any School I've ever seen. And what is this thing?" I talked nervously to myself until I realized there was a thick strap around my neck connected to a small box on the side of my neck. I could feel two little prongs sticking out of it and into my neck, making me wonder what they were for.

I pulled at it and tried to undo the little latch, but it felt like you would need a key, a small one, like you use on handcuffs. I took a moment to wish that I had a hair pin and Iggy's lock picking skills.

I heard voices shouting outside, but they were speaking a different language. Spanish, I think. Suddenly the door slammed open and two, muscly men walked in. I backed up into the wall, scared.

"Who are you? What do you want?" I asked shakily, they just ignored me. One of them tried to grab me, but I jumped to the side and kicked him in the head.

He cursed loudly in his own language as he tumbled to the floor and I backed up into the corner as the other guy advanced on me. I decided to go on the attack and took a running step, bringing up my fist to punch him in the nose, but he pulled out a remote from his pocket and pressed the only button on it.

The prongs against my neck sent a shock throughout my entire body and I felt two burn-marks forming on my neck where the prongs dug into my skin. I fell to the floor in pain and when it finally stopped, I curled up into a ball as the two goons stood over me.

One of them pulled me up by the arms and shoved me toward the door. I caught the wall, trying to hold myself up, but before I could steady myself the second guy grabbed both my wrists in one hand and then the back of my shirt with the other, directing me out of the room.

"Walk." The first one said with a heavy accent. I sniffled and then started walking because I was afraid of the remote he held in his hand.

They pushed me through several hallways and with each step I took I could hear some type of noise growing louder and louder. We eventually came to a door and the guy holding the remote opened it, revealing a crowded, noisy room.

It was a bar, that much was obvious. Everyone was holding a drink and several, scantily dressed women danced around poles on a runway. People eyed me, I could feel their stares burning holes into my exposed wings, as I was shoved through the crowd to a stage.

Backstage they forced me into a cage and the guard hit my fingers with a police baton when I started shaking the bars of the cage. I shrank back, nursing my smashed fingers, and tried to look around.

"Fighting will only make it worse." A voice came from the cage next to mine, low enough so only a mutant with enhanced hearing would be able to detect it. I glanced at the cage, catching a glimpse of long, ginger-brown hair. I could tell she was a girl by her voice, so the long hair wasn't shocking.

"Where are we? What are they going to do to us?" I asked just as quietly, not looking at the girl. If the guard noticed us talking, he might yell and beat us, so I tried to look natural.

"It's an auction. They're going to sell us and use the money to fund the Schools." The girl told me. "It's what they do with mutants that they think will bring in a lot of money."

"They're going to sell us? Like pieces of meat?" I squeaked in horror.

"Yes. And struggling only makes it worse." She sounded worried and timid. I refused to except it though. I refused to be sold like a piece of furniture. Max had taught me to have more dignity than that.

"How do we get out of here? Where's the exit?" I demanded, my eyebrows narrowing with determination.

"I wouldn't know. This is only my second time here. Last week no one showed up, so they kept me in the back rooms." She admitted.

"Well, I'll just have to make one then." I decided and she stared at me.

"How are you going to do that?" She whispered in awe and I felt a drop of sweat slide down the back of my head.

"I have no idea." I stated and she fell backwards onto her back. "But plans don't just make themselves, they take time. I'll think of something, you wait and see. Max taught me everything I know about escaping evil scientists."

"Max? You mean, the Maximum Ride? You know her?" The girl stared at me, wide-eyed with admiration.

"Uh, yeah, Max has always taken care of me and the rest of the Flock." I shrugged like it was no big deal, but she looked like she was staring at a movie star or something.

"You're part of the Flock? You escaped the School and fight every day to keep your freedom?" She questioned me and I raised an eyebrow at her in confusion.

"I guess, but it's really not all that glamorous." I said truthfully, remembering all the trees I slept in, the dumpsters I searched for food and the more gruesome fights I'd been a part of.

"But it must be!" She insisted, not bothering to try and not look at me anymore. "You know what it's like to be free and you've seen so many places! I've heard the stories about you and the other bird-kids. Especially Maximum Ride. You're amazing!"

"Oh, that's so sweet. I don't really know what to say, which is weird because normally I can't stop talking and some people find it annoying, but Max says it makes me a treasure, so I don't mind it too much." I chattered as I blushed a light pink.

"My names Hallie." The girl said and I smiled, happy that she wasn't acting so nervous anymore.

"I'm Nudge. What do you say we tear this place apart?" I grinned at her and she nodded.

"I-if you're going to try, then I'll help. What's the plan?" She asked.

"I still have no idea!" I told her and she fell backwards again.

"Well, you better hurry up, they're going to start soon!" Hallie said, righting herself as best she could in the small cage.

"Okay, okay. What happens after a mutants been sold?" I asked her and she thought for a moment.

"Usually they take them to the other side of backstage - to separate them from the ones that aren't sold - and after the party in the main room is done, the buyers can come backstage and take the mutant they bought." Hallie explained.

"Alright, give me a second, this isn't as easy as it looks." My eyebrows furrowed nervously. Why did Max have to make this look so easy?

My head shot up as a man took to the stage. He was dressed in a suit and speaking Spanish into a microphone.

"You'd better hurry with that plan of yours." A deep voice on my other side made me jump in surprise. "The auctions starting." Before I could get a look of what the boy inside the cage looked like, he was carried off by the guards onto the stage.

I bit my lip. Did that mean that boy was going to help us, or was he just mocking me? I shook my head, trying to focus on making a plan, but how was I supposed to make a plan when I didn't know what we were up against?

"Hallie!" I hissed, turning to her quickly before the guards came for one of us. "I can't make any plans until I see what we're up against. Wait for me and I'll tell you the plan once we get to the other side of the stage."

The guards started coming towards us, so Hallie didn't have time to respond, but she did give me a small nod as the guards picked up her cage and carried her out, onto the stage.

My turn came in what felt like a matter of seconds - way too fast, for my liking - and the guards carried my cage out onto the stage. They placed it center stage, beside the announcer, and the door to my cage opened. I didn't move.

One of the guards grunted and reached in, grabbing me by the back of the shirt. I shrieked my brains out as he dragged me out of the cage and I heard several, horrified gasps from the crowd before me. My mutiny didn't last long though, the electric shock from my collar cut off my screech, but it wasn't as bad this time, which surprised me considering the furious looks the announcer and guards were giving me. And instead of feeling like crap afterwards, I felt bouncy. Like the energy just gave me a little more spunk.

I did stop, though, and I stood scowling at the crowd.

The announcer continued on like nothing had happened. I didn't know what he was saying, but I got a pretty good idea of what he might've been talking about when he gestured at my chest and hips and made hand motions that generally translated into any language as curvy.

There wasn't that much to look at - I hadn't even started molting yet - but I was starting to show and I guess he was trying to sell me on the fact that I would grow.

After a while of the announcer just talking, he motioned at me and one of the guards leaned close. He muttered "Wings." in my ear and I saw the remote nestled snugly into his hand.

I held my chin high and pulled my wings in tight against my back, refusing to be a subject to their disgusting auction.

When nothing happened, murmurs went up in the crowd and the announcer laughed nervously, flashing a look at the guards. I felt a shock jolt out of the collar and into my body, but I forced myself to stay strong. I clenched my fists and fought back until my vision went blurry and I started to feel dizzy.

This time, I felt jittery with energy and my fingertips tingled like they did whenever I was working on computers and other devices. Until, that is, they shocked me again. I wasn't ready for it and I yelped as pain tore through me. I gave in and opened my wings, but only because I didn't want to spend hours fighting off electric shocks.

When my wings unfurled, gasps and exclamations of surprise and wonder lit the air. Everyone started yelling out in Spanish, raising their signs to bid on me.

While they were distracted by my awesomeness, I focused on my surroundings and the room I was in. The runway with stripper poles on it was to my right, the bar was to my left, and the front door was straight across the room from the stage.

I was ripped out of my thoughts by the announcer yelling in Spanish and hitting the podium with that tiny hammer that judges use. He pointed to a man in one of the far back corners and I suddenly realized that I'd been sold.

The guards stepped forward to put me back in my cage and when they grabbed my arm, I screamed and ripped it out of their hands. They didn't even give me a chance this time. They used the collar and shocked me as strong as they could.

I fought back as hard as I could, letting them take me and put me in the cage as I battled with the electricity running through me. By the time they had me offstage and had placed beside Hallie's cage, my fingers were sparking with energy.

I smiled when I realized what was happening.

"Nudge?" Hallie whispered timidly. "Do you have a plan?"

"Yes." I confirmed. "Yes, I do."

**AN:** Hey guys! Sorry for the late post, it's been a busy day. I hope you enjoy the new chapter! R&REVIEW! -Owl.


	7. Where Do We Start?

**_Maximum Ride - Episode 6: Where Do We Start?_**

**-Fang-**

That night was hard. I continued to dream about Max and the others. The one thing we all had in common in my dreams was that we were all lost and we didn't know what was going on or if everyone was okay.

Whenever I didn't dream about where they might be, I dreamed about the rally and the explosion and the last time I'd kissed Max. I should've trusted my gut and kept her close, but she was so determined to find the bombs...

I was woken up the next morning by an alarm screaming and red lights flashing. I went up to the bars of my cell, trying to see what was going on. I heard running footsteps and a familiar face appeared in front of my cell, skidding to a stop once he saw me.

"Fang!" Ari barked, his golden-brown fur tangled and dirty, but his eyes shining.

"Ari, what are you doing here? How did you find me?" I asked as he crunched down on the lock with his powerful wolf-jaws.

"It was pretty simple, actually." Holden appeared as Ari ripped off the lock and the barred-cell door. "After the explosion, Devin, Rachet, Ari and I managed to meet up. We went back to the Place de la Concorde or, at least, what's left of it, to see if we could find anyone else. We found some of your blood and Ari picked up your scent. All we had to do after that was follow the trail."

"And now we have to go because I don't think Devin and Rachet can hold off those guards for much longer." Ari spoke up, spitting out the crushed metal lock in his mouth.

"We can't leave." I interrupted them, probably blowing a huge hole in their escape plan. "A guy named Gradasso has the Cleansing Serum. We have to get it back."

"How do you plan to do that?" Holden's eyebrows were in his hairline.

"I've got an idea, but it's going to be risky." I told them. They nodded, ready to help in any way they could, and I rushed to explain their portion of the plan.

The big guard hit me in the back with the butt of his gun and I fell to my knees in front of Gradasso. We were in a huge, polished room that was basically a giant half-circle. Thick windows made up the curved wall of the half-circle and an elevator decorated the grey-tiled back wall.

Gradasso gave me a tight-lipped smile, his hands clasped behind his back as he paced back and forth in front of Devin, Ari and I. Five guards stood at attention, guns ready in case we tried anything and their eyes were on Gradasso.

My lip was split, I had a black eye and a cut just above my knee. Nothing deep, or worrying, but enough to be annoying. Devin and Ari suffered from similar injuries. Small cuts, bruises, and scrapes. I stopped my assessment, though, when Gradasso stopped in front of me.

"Well, 'Nick'." He said with exaggerated patience. "It seems your little plan failed. You're still my prisoner and you still don't have the Cleansing Serum." He held the syringe in one hand to show it to me and then tucked it into his suit.

I growled at him, just wishing I could wrap my hands around his pathetic, little neck and squeeze.

He tisked at me, shaking one index finger side-to-side. "Oh, no, no, no." He gave me a fake pout. "I was hoping you would learn to enjoy the assignments I had planned for you. But it turns out my superiors were right. You're nothing but a useless failure, unable to take orders or do anything, for that matter." He dropped the act and sat down in a spinning-arm chair. "Now I understand why they wanted me to take you away from the blast sight. You're an embarrassment to the organization. The government finding you would have been humiliating to say the least. No, it was better to bring you here where you could be Retired quietly."

"I knew it." I spoke through my teeth. "You're nothing but a damn whitecoat."

"Yes, but I am different. You see, I was hoping to make use of the skills you had. Turn you into another one of my assistants and such. Have you fly messages to and from my contacts that couldn't be entrusted to the internet. Allow you to live to see the New World just so I would still have an errand boy after everything was over with. But I see now that was a mistake." Gradasso's wistful smile vanished as he looked at me once again. "You can't even stay in your cage like a good little bird."

"I could've told you that from the start. Would've saved us a lot of time." I smirked dryly and the corners of his lips twitched downwards towards a frown.

"I suppose, if you're willing to risk it so recklessly, this Cleansing Serum really doesn't mean that much to you, does it?" Gradasso stood, pulling out the syringe and slowly walking straight towards me. "Perhaps I should just 'save us a lot of time' and dispose of it."

He stood in front of me by the time he said this and my eyes widened as he let the needle fall out of his fingertips.

I flinched as it hit the ground, the glass clanking as it rattled to a stop between us. Gradasso lifted his foot and I lunged. I grabbed the syringe in one hand, but I couldn't pull away in time because of the handcuffs, and Gradasso's foot slammed down on my left-hand fingers. I heard several snaps and crunches and clenched my teeth as he rubbed his shoe in.

"Disgusting Halfbreed." He spat and kicked my chin. I fell backwards onto my back, but I kept the Cleansing Serum safe in my hand. "You are nothing." He snapped, grabbing one of the pistols out of one of the guards' hostlers. He walked over until he stood, looming over me, and pointed the gun at my forehead.

"And it's about time you disappeared."

The glass wall shattered and I rolled out of the way as Gradasso fired a shot, three feet away from where my head was after the startle of the window breaking.

I looked out and saw a wrecking ball, meant for construction across the street, swinging slightly with Rachet and Holden on it. Rachet jumped down and Holden stumbled after him, looking dizzy after the wrecking ball ride.

"You know, you guys probably have the best ideas for distractions ever." Ari grinned as Rachet elbowed a guy in the back of the neck while he was trying to stand up. The guard fell to the floor again, like his colleagues had when the glass exploded, and Rachet took a key-ring off his belt, working at the handcuffs of Devin and Ari.

"We try." Rachet said, getting the first pair of cuffs off of Devin.

Gradasso and his other guards started to get to their feet and shout at us to freeze. Rachet tossed the keys to Holden, who caught them and started working at my handcuffs while Rachet and Devin went for the guards, followed by Ari who just ripped his handcuffs apart by morphing into a wolf.

Several gunshots went off, but they all went into the ceiling or floor. Even so, the guards were obviously enhanced and were harder to take down then they looked. Their only weakness was on the back of their necks, like all other humans, but they were doing a good job protecting the spot and fighting back at the same time.

Holden finally unlocked the cuffs and I shook them off as quickly as I could, jumping to my feet. I launched myself forward and took out one of the guards while he was focused on fighting Devin and motioned for Devin to help me do the same with the other three.

Within moments they were down and I ran over to the spot the wrecking ball had crashed through. There were cars stopped on the street below and people were staring up at the building, pointing and yelling about the wrecking ball hitting the wrong building.

What was left of my Gang after the explosion gathered around the window with me, but didn't say anything. I turned to them and they looked at me expectantly. I opened my mouth to tell them we had to use the main entrance - no matter how big a risk it was, running into probably hundreds of more guards - and was interrupted by a loud siren.

We all whirled to see the first guard Rachet had taken down. He had came-to and crawled over to one of the control panels in the room to hit the alarm.

I cursed and Rachet placed a hand over one of his headphones. "They're coming. Fast." He told us, looking to me for a plan. Everyone else followed his lead.

"We don't have a choice. Ari, take Holden and Rachet. Devin, you think you can make it down on your own?" I raised and eyebrow at him and he rolled his eyes.

"It's probably going to be one of the easiest things you've ever asked of me." Devin scoffed and I snorted, stepping aside so the others could go first.

Ari was weighed down and a lot slower with Rachet and Holden on his back, but I wasn't asking him to run a marathon, so I knew he'd be okay. He went first. He leaped onto the wrecking ball, swinging over to the metal crane that kept it suspended in the air and jumped onto that, using it as easily as a gymnast on a balance beam as he ran down to the ground.

Devin followed his example, using the ball to get to the crane and then down to the ground, but he used more flips, jumps, twists and turns then Ari did because it helped him to keep up with the much-larger, wolf-like Ari.

I heard guards bursting out of the elevator and the stairs entrance behind me, but I didn't spare even a second to look back. I jumped and, unlike my friends, let myself fall. I could hear the screams from civilians below - the ones that had managed to stop ogling at the guys long enough to notice the guy plummeting towards the ground - and seconds before hitting the ground, I snapped my wings out and shot up.

I soared over astonished humans, I saw a couple of flashes, and I knew this wouldn't end well. But all I was concerned about, was getting my Gang to safety and finding my missing Flock.

I flew back towards the Place de la Concorde, looking down to make sure the others were following, only to find them not there. I stopped and hovered, frantically looking for them, until I heard a whistle. My head snapped around and there they were, sitting on a roof top just a little bit below my altitude.

"It may have taken a while, but we've learned to keep up with you." Rachet defended their ability to learn and I smirked.

"Have any of you been back to the hotel since the explosion?" I asked, landing on the roof with them even though I wasn't comfortable with staying so close to Gradasso's hangout.

Ari nodded. "They kept our stuff in storage in case we came back because a lot of people got lost after the explosion - a lot of them were their visitors. When it was just the four of us that showed up to reclaim our rooms, they gave us a new room - only one - and our stuff. We told them our friends were still missing and they gave us a free breakfast the next morning."

"Alright. Let's head there. We'll get something to eat, plan our next move and start trying to find the others." I decided and they all nodded.

"I do have one thing to ask about finding the others..." Holden raised his hand hesitantly and I raised my eyebrows at him, silently telling him to go on. "Well, where do we start?..."

"He is right." Devin added quietly. "When we went to the blast sight there was no trace of anyone else but you."

I sighed and shook my head, running my hand through my hair.

"Then that is a very good question."

**AN: **Hey everyone! Fang's finally free! But what about the others? And where are Max and Spike? Keep reading to find out! I hope you liked it! R&REVIEW! -Owl.


	8. Who Are You?

**_Maximum Ride - Episode 7: Who Are You?_**

**-Spike-**

_I heard Fang yell and Max's scream, and then the ground exploded beneath my feet. Everything turned to chaos, pain forced its way up my nervous system, and suddenly it all stopped. I was left in darkness and the last thing I heard was a calm, soothing voice murmuring to me..._

_"Don't worry, Spike. You're very special and we're going to take very good care of you."_

I woke with a start, gasping as I shot up into a sitting position. The first thing that I noticed was that I was bare. All natural. In The Nude.

Butt naked.

I was on a bed with mattress coverings, but no blankets. The room I was in was small and plain. There was a dresser with three drawers and a desk with a mirror on it.

I slowly got up and went straight for the door. It was locked from the outside. I decided to take a closer look at the room before I kicked the door down and walked over to the dresser - hoping to find, at least, one of the School's hospital dresses that I could wear. I pulled the top drawer until it was open all the way. And then I slammed it shut.

I thought for a minute and then tried the second one. Same-ish result. Finally the third one confirmed my fears and I ran over to the bed, jumping onto it and standing on it like a prissy school-girl that just saw a rat.

The dresser contained nothing but lingerie. The top drawer contained nothing but lacy, skimpy, frilly, sparkly bras. The second drawer held the matching thongs and the third had - dare I say it - garters and the tights that only went up to your knees.

I gagged on the nasty taste the sight of the stuff left in my mouth and quickly went for the alternative: I yanked the white bed covering off the bed and wrapped it around myself, tucking it into place like a towel and holding it there by the waist.

Just then the door swung open and a man walked in. "Ah, you're awake!" He opened his arms welcomingly and stood in front of me, raking his eyes over every inch of me.

"Um... Who are you? And where are my clothes?!" I demanded and the man blinked a couple of times before laughing like I'd just told some kind of joke.

"Oh, they told me you might be somewhat of a... Handful, but I always like a challenge." He smiled again. "I am Dr. Robert Morris. I am your new master."

"Master? As in, I'm your _slave_?!" I gawked at him in disgust.

"But of course, I did purchase you after all." 'Dr. Morris' waved it off like it was the most obvious thing.

"Purchased me? Like hell you did!" I spat, keeping one arm locked around my waist and the other blocked my covered chest from view.

Robert's brow furrowed and he frowned slightly. "Hm. It seems you will be quite the challenge. Very well, this should keep me entertained for quite some time."

His stupid smile came back and I glowered at him. Dr. Robert Morris was a short man - standing only just above my shoulder - and his eyebrows were like bushes. He had a trimmed mustache, clean glasses and a tan suit. He wasn't muscular and he was larger than average, but not fat, exactly. The top of his head was bald and the sides had thin, brown-going-grey hair slicked back with care. His ears stuck out to the sides and were too big for his head, too. All in all, I guessed he was somewhere in his late forties-early fifties.

Before I could give him a nasty reply, Dr. Morris went on. "Yes, but for now you'll need to be shown how things are done around here and I also believe some fixing up is in order..." He looked me over again, his gaze calculating as it burned the dirt, smudges and scratches that littered the small parts of my naked flesh that he could see. He nodded suddenly. "Indeed, I shall send one of my attendants to assist you with all of your needs. In the mean time, I hope you will enjoy the assortment of attire that has been left in the dresser for you." With that, he turned on his heel and left in a flourish, closing and locking the door behind him.

I sighed and sat down on the bed. _"I really hope the others are okay..."_

I didn't have long to wait in the small, plain room, because ten minutes later a younger woman appeared. She looked to be in her late-thirties. She had dark, dark brown hair and cold, calculating eyes. She wore a white, button-up blouse with a black pencil skirt that reached down to mid-calf area. Her glasses were small and balanced carefully on her nose while her hair was pulled back into a tight bun.

"My name is Ms. Ward. Dr. Morris hired me for the sole purpose of watching over all of his play things." She stated matter-of-factly, in a no-nonsense kind of way. "Put this on and come with me." She said, holding out a hospital dress.

It wasn't the kind we got back at the School. Those were made of actual cloth and were designed to clothe us for long periods of time. This was made of a paper-like substance and it barely reached mid-thigh. On top of that it really wasn't flattering at all, I felt like I was wearing a trash-bag with holes cut in it.

It was better then the lingerie in the dresser, though, so I quickly put it on and, because I really didn't have any other choice, I followed Ms. Ward out of the room.

I followed her for a long time and we went down to what I assumed was the basement level of the building - which was obviously _huge_. The basement was one, very giant room with different sections set aside for different reasons. Ms. Ward brought me to the very back corner of the room where two other women stood waiting. They were dressed like nurses and I quickly learned why they were there.

First, in the corner where we joined the two nurses, I was given a very thorough power-washing. I was scrubbed and hosed until my skin was red from chafing and my teeth were chattering from the cold. Next they took my measurements and then finally gave me back my paper dress. After I was dressed again, the 'nurses' sat me in a chair and grabbed several tools. They proceeded to pluck my eyebrows, wax my legs and hose me off a second time.

Thankfully, that was all they did, finishing by handing me a towel to dry off with and bustling around, cleaning up the mess they'd made.

Ms. Ward then led me back to the elevator that had brought us down to the basement and started talking. "Everyday you will wake up, dress in one of the clothing options that have been left for you in your room, and then report to me in the waiting room. It is down the hall and to the right of the corridor where your room resides. You will follow orders without question and without complaint. Should you fail to do this, you will be punished by one of your superiors."

Ms. Ward came to an abrupt halt in front of the door that led to 'my room'. She unlocked it and the door swung open. She motioned for me to go inside and - after a moments hesitation - I did.

"You will notice that every evening at exactly 9pm the lights in your bedroom will turn off and every morning at 6am they will turn on. You will get up and go to sleep according to this schedule. As of now it is 8:32. Enjoy the rest of your evening. Tomorrow you begin working." With that, the door slammed shut and a purposeful click announced that the door had been locked once again.

I fell back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. What was I going to do?

The next morning - at exactly 6am - the lights came on. I ignored them and rolled over, going back to sleep in my paper-dress. Like I would actually get up at six in the morning for a stupid whitecoat and his over-glorified maid.

Fifteen minutes later the door slammed open and I was dragged out of my bed - kicking and screaming - by two brute-ish guys that dragged me all the way to Ms. Ward in what I assumed was the 'waiting room'.

Ms. Ward looked annoyed. Her foot was tapping the ground impatiently and her arms were crossed over her chest. "Your first set of orders and you failed to follow them." She said icily.

"I've been told I have a serious problem." I answered mockingly. She was not amused.

"If you will not act willingly, you will be forced. Guards!" The two guys grabbed one arm each and started to drag me back out of the room, but I struggled, catching one of them in the nose with my elbow, until I was wrestling against the two in the middle of the room.

"That's quite enough, gentlemen." A loud, but calm voice broke through the fighting - and shrieks of battle, mostly from me - and brought the guards to a stand-still. I righted myself and straightened out my paper-dress with a huff.

There stood Dr. Morris in all his tan-suit elegance. "Ms. Ward, is it really appropriate to have the guards dress her? You know how violent and impatient they can get." He turned to the guards. "You may go, I have it under control." The guards nodded and left. I stuck my tongue out at them as they passed and then looked up at Dr. Morris, who was looking at me. "I'm terribly sorry, I hope they didn't hurt you."

"No, but I'm annoyed and it's still six o'clock in the morning." I grumbled, rubbing the sleep out of my eye and yawning.

"Ms. Ward is just trying to help you adjust. I understand you may have mixed feelings about me, so as a show of good-will, I will allow you to wear that dress until you are more comfortable with your surroundings." Dr. Morris offered 'oh-so-generously'.

I snorted. "How about you let me go instead? Let's get one thing straight, pal, you can throw as many guards as you want at me, I'll never 'get used to my surroundings'. I will always fight against you and I will always be trying to escape, so why don't you go shove your egotistical nose, up your ass!"

I spun around and stalked out of the room. I went all the way back to the room that I was to stay in and slammed the door. I sat on my bed and thought hard about how I was going to get myself out of this mess, how I was going to find the others, and how I was even going to find the way out of here - the place is huge and I haven't even seen a window!

My thoughts were interrupted by the door opening and I opened my mouth to start screaming at Dr. Morris or Ms. Ward or whoever it was, when I tilted my head in confusion.

There stood a girl with bright orange hair and big, curious honey-colored eyes. She was small, petite, and she wore something similar to the lingerie I had found in my dresser. Her pointed ears were pointed straight up, listening intently, their black tips contrasting the orange bases nicely. Her poofy tail was also orange, but was tipped with a snow-white color that matched the small amount of clothing she was wearing.

"Hello." She murmured, blushing a light pink shyly. "My names Zoey. What's yours?"

**AN:** So, I feel a little silly. I totally forgot to post a chapter last Saturday and I didn't even realize it until like... Tuesday. But I don't feel that bad because I didn't get a review for my last chapter, so I guess we're even. Also, there was a question that I totally meant to answer, but I forgot to do that too; Yes, lots of the new characters are my OC's. Eventually I'll type out a list of which ones are mine, but that will come later :). Anyways, I hope you guys liked it! Remember to R&REVIEW! -Owl.


	9. Are You Out There?

_**Maximum Ride - Episode 8: Are You Out There?**_

**-Max-**

I didn't know how long I'd been gone. I didn't know how long ago I had last seen my Flock, my family. All I knew was that I was worried for them and I missed them with all of my heart.

I could remember the explosion like it was yesterday. The noise, the pain, the chaos. And then nothing. Nothing at all.

I thought about them constantly. Wondering if they were okay, if they needed my help. I wanted to go find them, to help them, to see them again. In my dreams I remembered them. I remembered holding Angel in my lap as I read her a story. I remembered Iggy and the Gasman as I scolded them for blowing up Nudge's hair-dryer. I remembered Nudge and her endless talking that was strangely comforting to me. I remembered my cheeks burning as I laughed with Spike about our crazy adventures together. I remembered Fang and his kisses, his soft and sweet whisperings in my ear that made me feel loved and beautiful.

I wanted to be with them so bad it hurt. It hurt enough to cut through the numbness of my being.

But I was trapped. Stuck in a pure white room with no windows, no doors, or even air-vents. The air came from cracks in the wall and food only came when I was asleep. They only took me in or out of my prison when I was asleep, or heavily guarded - Both most of the time. I was half-starved, filthy with sweat and dirt and the experiments left me exhausted.

I curled into a tighter ball on the bed - the only thing in the room - trying to keep myself together.

I couldn't sleep. They would come for me if I did. So, I stayed awake, staring blankly at the wall. But I didn't see the wall. I saw the memories of me and my Flock. The times when we were together and happy and safe. Those times seemed so long ago now.

My nightmares had returned, too. Without Fang to hold and comfort me, and without the kids as a constant reason for me to fight for my sanity, I was sinking deeper and deeper into a pit of darkness.

Part of me had already given up hope. I hadn't seen anything but white since that time when I awoke from memories of the explosion back in Paris. I was falling into despair and the temptation was always there. The temptation to go back to the life where my one goal was to not give the whitecoats a reason to hurt me. To let my mind go blank and lose all sense of love, caring or happiness, but also losing all sense of pain, loneliness and suffering. To go back to the time before Fang and Spike gave me a reason to be alive. To forget all of it.

To be a killer. A monster.

What was stopping me? I had no reason try and hold on. My Flock was gone, possibly dead. I was a captive to the people I hated most in the world. And all I could feel was pain.

I could only remember how it felt to have a purpose and to have someone need you. Like when Angel or Nudge would wake up from a nightmare and ask me to stay with them, or when Gazzy fell and scraped his knee and needed me to make it better, or when Iggy just needed a shoulder and he would come to me. I could only reflect on what it was like to laugh and feel happy. When Spike and I would do something crazy and then have to get out of the trouble it brought together. I could only dream what love felt like. When Fang used to hold me, kiss me, and whisper sweet things to me...

So what was holding me back? Was that small, tiny sliver of hope that lit up my heart really that powerful?

I rolled onto my other side, feeling cold, and shivered. I gripped the short sleeves of my hospital dress, trying to hold it closer. I curled up as tight as I could, trying to get warm.

The next thing I remembered was waking up strapped to a table by the wrists and ankles. the ceiling was white and there were two masked whitecoats leaning over me. They were talking, but I couldn't make out the words. All of my senses were dulled. Anything I heard sounded like it was coming through a thick layer of cotton, anything I saw looked like it was above the surface of water while I was under it, and the only thing I could feel was the ache in my muscles.

A small prick in one of my arms - I couldn't tell which one - managed to be felt past all the confusion and dizziness. Just a few minutes later my heart started pounding, my arms strained against the restraints, my head thrashed back and fort, and my chest lifted off the table with each pound of my heart against my ribcage.

I could hear them yelling and I vaguely registered two or three more pricks to one of my arms - I still couldn't decipher which of my limbs was which, for all I knew they could have been poking my foot with needles, not my arm.

Eventually I woke from a deep sleep. I was back in my crisp-white cell, but there was something different about it: One whitecoat and two guards stood in the center of the room.

I moved like I was in a pool of thick honey as I sat up and swung my legs over the side of the bed, sore and tired after the only partially-remembered experiment. But my weakness disappeared once I saw the face of the whitecoat.

"I hope you slept well, Max." Jeb spoke quietly, but it sounded like an ear-splitting shriek. My hands went to my temples and I rubbed them to ease the pain as Jeb took a seat in a fold-able chair one of the guards had been carrying.

I didn't give him an answer. I stared at him, hoping he could see how much I hated him, despite the blankness of my expression.

Jeb's loyalty had been decided long ago when he disappeared and then showed up weeks later with Mr. Chu and Dr. Hans, telling me I needed to mate with Dylan and create a 'purebred' heir for the New World.

It wasn't surprising to me that he was standing in front of me. It didn't surprise me that two guards were standing by to keep me from killing him. And it most definitely did not surprise me that he was apart of the people who were keeping me locked up and isolated.

"Max, I have some very important news to share with you, but I won't be able to help you if you continue to ignore me." Jeb tried to be sincere, but years of experience had taught me to see past bull-shit. Jeb sighed and went on. "Max, it's time we put you back into your training. Tomorrow morning at 4am six guards will come for you and bring you to the Arena where all of your skills will be tested and tried. You must be prepared for it. That's why I've brought you some food..." Jeb gestured to the small tray of grey-slop placed on the foot of my bed. "...And I strongly suggest that you get plenty of sleep. You won't be returned here until late tomorrow night."

"You mean, 'until I lose myself again'." I said quietly, my voice empty. Completely drained of all emotion. Only that small sliver of hope in my heart hurt when I heard it in my own ears.

"Quite the opposite." Jeb's voice was hard and I could here a twinge of anger in his voice. "We're training you to be the best and the strongest. You've never gone mad before and you won't now! Lying won't make this any easier! You let yourself become soft over the years and now you must face the consequences. Which means, extra training, extra hard."

"You must be very good at lying to yourself if you honestly believe my mind hasn't been torn apart and stitched back together again." My voice was so dead and that little light flickered painfully every time I spoke. "This torture you call training. It's driven me mad and destroyed my heart. I struggle to keep myself together everyday. To force myself to feel something so it looks like nothings wrong. For a while it even worked; I was happy. I felt loved and I wanted to love in return. I had purpose and meaning to my life, too. I had more reasons to stay alive then ever before... And now I'm here."

My voice never raised above a whisper. I think it may have even become a bit quieter when I said love. I couldn't remember the last time I had told Fang that I loved him, and I wished I had done it back when we kissed at the rally. I felt one lone tear fall down my cheek, going slow, as if to make the moment drag on forever.

That's when a fist connected to my cheek so hard that I went flying off my bed and slid along the floor until I hit the wall.

I pushed myself up into a sitting position, my face still as detached as it was before. No pain, no torture and no sadness could cause me to break away from my emotionless state.

One of the guards shook out his hand, grinning, as Jeb walked up to stand over me. I looked at him. Not defiantly like all the times before, but impassively. Like nothing mattered.  
"How dare you show such weakness." Jeb hissed. "After everything I have done to raise you to the top, you have done nothing but drag yourself to the bottom! Taking pity on failures and mating with Halfbreed scum!"

He turned away, walking a few paces as he collected himself. When he turned back his expression was firm and his jaw was set. He was trying very hard to control his anger.

"You will enter the Arena tomorrow and you will fight. Or there will be punishment." He told me. I didn't respond, so he left. His two guards followed him through a door that opened on the wall opposite of my bed. When it closed it just looked like part of the wall again.

I laid back on the floor, not caring where I was or if the bed was warmer. Maybe, if I was lucky, I would develop Fang's skill of invisibility and then they wouldn't be able to find me. They'd go running off on a wild goose-chase, leaving the door open behind so I could escape and go find the Flock.

More tears fell as I thought more and more about this. I didn't realize it, but a small smile lit my face as tears rolled down my cheeks and nose. That small light in my chest was growing dim. I wanted my Flock.

I curled into a tight ball and started to sob.

There was nothing left.

My family was missing, or dead.

My heart was stabbed through, to stop the love that I had felt for just a short amount of time.

I was trapped by white walls.

And yet I still couldn't help that tiny, little light inside.

I couldn't help that small bit of hope that my heart clung to.

I couldn't help but wonder...

_"Are you looking for me?"_

_"Do you miss me, as much as I miss you?"_

"Are you out there?"

**AN:** Hey, guys! So, this chapter was kinda shorter then I usually write, but I personally really enjoyed writing about that place in Max's mind between sanity and insanity. Anyways, I hope you guys liked it! R&REVIEW! -Owl.


	10. Return To New York!

_**Maximum Ride - Episode 9: Return To New York!**_

**-The Gasman-**

"Where are we going?" Rachel cried as I led her and Herbie through the underground tunnels that kept Itex hidden underneath New York city. I didn't stop running to answer her. I kept a firm grip on her wrist so she wouldn't fall behind and Herbie ran just behind me.

"I'm not really sure, none of this looks very familiar." I told them truthfully, but I could hear the Erasers yelling and their loud thumping feet pounding after us through the muck in the sewer.

"Do you have a plan?" Herbie asked as we turned a corner and I thought for a minute before I answered.

"Nope. I'm making this up as I go along!" I grinned sheepishly, looking ahead for ideas.

There were at least eight Erasers behind us, too many for us to take on our own, and they would catch up to us at any minute because they could run faster then us. Our only options would be to hide and hope they run past without noticing, or find somewhere we could lose them, like a heavy, metal door we could lock.

I paused for a second when we came to a four-way cross-road. Going back was not an option. Forward would leave us in their view when they rounded the corner. I threw myself to the left, hoping that they wouldn't think to jump over the muck-river to follow us and that the smell would cover our scent, and ran as fast as I could.

Three corners later we couldn't hear the Erasers anymore and I sighed in relief. I kept walking, but I let go of Rachel's hand and I kept the pace really slow so we could catch our breaths.

Eventually we heard noise in the distance. Rachel and Herbie stiffened and moved closer, afraid of more Erasers, but I knew almost instantly what the sound was.

"It's okay, it's not Erasers." I comforted them and tip-toed up to a small hole in the wall. There was the underground city Spike and Fang had brought us to after Max had been knocked out by an Eraser.

I remembered the last time we had to bribe the person at the entrance with food to stay inside, but no one was guarding the hole, so I motioned for the others to follow me and to stay quiet. We sneaked past the few people huddled around trash can fires near the entrance and I led them through the shadows until we were on the far side of the 'room'.

We huddled together in the shadows of one corner, hidden by a ledge that loomed over us protectively. We didn't have to be worried about being seen here, so I turned back to the others with a smile. I sat down close to Rachel, so we could share our warmth, and Herbie settled on her other side.

Rachel yawned and her eyelids were all droopy. I realized I was tired too, but Max would never approve of not having someone on watch. Especially in such a public place.

I sat up a bit straighter, so I wouldn't be tempted to fall asleep, and when Rachel and Herbie were finally asleep, I stayed up. Rachel stirred a bit in her sleep and her head fell onto my shoulder. She had a smile on her face and I guessed she was having a nice dream. I didn't want to wake her up, but that position was really uncomfortable and I could tell Rachel would wake up with a sore neck.

I thought back to all the times Max had slept next to Fang and a light buld went off in my head. I turned slowly and carefully, lifting Rachel's head a bit so she wouldn't feel me moving, and then I settled back down, facing her. Rachel's head was still on my shoulder, but it was more on the front part rather then right on top of it.

It was actually really hard to stay awake after that, though, and I caught myself dozing off a couple times. I wished I had some way to check the time so I would know when it was time to switch watch-shifts, but I didn't. I decided to tough it out for as long as I could, because Herbie and Rachel weren't used to staying up for watch and I wasn't sure if they would fall asleep or not.

The next morning, Herbie woke me up with a bright smile. I had woken him up for second watch, telling him he had to stay up for as long as he could and not fall asleep so we wouldn't get jumped, and now he looked down at me triumphantly.

"I told you I could finish up the night!" He grinned smugly and Rachel rolled her eyes.

"To bad you didn't." She looked smug now. "He woke me up half way through and I finished up the night." She explained to me and I yawned, rubbing my eye.

"That's okay." I said, still trying to get the sleepiness out of my voice. "Just as long as there's someone on watch the whole time."

I looked at them with a smile and then I realized that this was the first time I had seen them in actual light. They looked like more then just big, moving shadows now.

Herbie was covered from head to toe in a light brown colored fur. Instead of hair, he had a long mane of porcupine quills that reached down to the tops of his legs and his fingernails were sharper, like claws instead of nails. His green eyes were the same, except they sparked with excitement.

I wasn't really sure what I had been expecting with Rachel, but she was cool. Her hair was black, except for one small, white stripe in her bangs that were long enough for her to tuck behind her ear. Two pointed, grey ears poked out of her hair and she had a big, puffy, grey and black striped tail. Her eyelashes were really long, too, and her warm-honey colored eyes twinkled in a pretty way.

"Hey, Gazzy?" Rachel asked timidly, her tail curled around her legs shyly. "How are we gonna fit in with the humans like you do? We can't hide what we are as easily as you can..."

I smiled widely at her. "That's the best part about New York city. Everyone here is a freak! No one will notice three more!" I stretched out my arms when I told her this and her tail uncurled a bit.

"Really? No one's gonna scream when they see us?" Herbie looked a little skeptical, but I knew how to fix that.

"Wait until you see the kind of people that hang out in New York subways." I grinned wickedly and they looked at each other in confusion.

That's when my stomach growled really loudly and Rachel and Herbie looked at me with raised eyebrows. I scratched the back of my head embarrassedly.

"I guess I'm a bit hungry. Let's go find something to eat. And don't worry; just act like you want to be noticed and everyone will ignore you!" I said, leading the way towards the entrance to the underground shelter.

"That doesn't make any sense." Herbie stated and I nodded.

"That's true, but if you act like you don't want to be noticed, people will think you're weird, or that you're some kind of criminal running away from the law. So just try to look like you own everything around you." I coached them, remembering the time we spent in New York as a Flock.

I suddenly felt my stomach twist and I watched the ground as I walked. I really missed them. I didn't have any idea what to do and I really just wanted to be back with the others. I almost wished that we had never gone to that stupid rally, but then I felt guilty because I would have never met Herbie and Rachel if we hadn't gone and they were already good friends to me.

It was so easy talking to them - Other mutants. They were different like me, but they liked normal things like me. They liked the idea of the sun and games and swimming and running. I couldn't wait to show them what the world was like. Sure, there was bad stuff in it, but there was a lot of great stuff too!

"Gazzy, are we there yet?" Herbie groaned and I heard his stomach growl. I guessed they were both tired and hungry - we all were - so I needed to think of a way to get us some food.

"Not yet, but I think I know how we're going to get some money for food." I said, spotting light coming into the sewers from an open man-hole.

"What's money?" Herbie asked while picking his ear with his pinkie.

"And why do we need it for food?" Rachel questioned, a little more interested.

"I'll tell you later when we have food, right now lets go make some money." I said, leading the way up the ladder.

"Step right up people! Come see the Masked Dart Artist!" I exclaimed through cupped hands. "Watch him knock this pencil off of the young lady's head with nothing but one dart! That's right, come right up and see! Drop the money on the jacket, sir! Thank you!"

Herbie picked a quill out of his mane of darts and easily took aim, knocking the pencil off with no problem at all, and Rachel sat perfectly still and completely trusting Herbie and I.

I made a mental note to keep her safe. Herbie could take care of himself if he had to, but Rachel didn't know anything outside the whitecoats torture chambers and I didn't want her to get hurt.

I started counting the money, finding about fifteen dollars. _"That's only enough to keep us fed for about three meals. We can survive on two meals a day, but that's still only a day and a half..."_

"Oh, aren't they cute. Give them a little something, won't you, dear?" Some lady gushed as she and the dude she was walking with stopped to watch. The guy smiled a bit and tossed another two dollars on the jacket before moving on with his lady-friend.

Several other couples like that, two other street performers and an old lady came by and left some money for us. In the end we had twenty-eight dollars. I decided that was good enough for now, because Rachel and Herbie's stomachs were getting louder, and we left to find some food.

We picked up a bunch of stuff from a gas-station, so it was all super cheap. I even got an apple for each of us, because I could practically hear Max's voice telling me I needed something other then junk food to eat.

We bought everything and sat down to eat on the fire escape of a really old building. I explained the reason for money to Rachel and Herbie as best I could and they eventually got the idea. After that we were finishing up the last of the food and Rachel asked a really hard question to answer.

"Where do we go from here?" She tilted her head to the side a bit and I looked down at my crossed legs, my hands in my lap.

"I don't know. I have to find my family, but the only place I can think of to look for them is back in Paris, and I wouldn't know how to get back there. We can't afford a plane ticket and you guys can't fly..." I couldn't look up at them. Not because I didn't want them around, just because I was supposed to be leading them to somewhere safe and I didn't no where to go.

"You can leave if you want." Rachel whispered quietly after a long pause. I looked up at her, but she wasn't looking at me. "I know we're holding you back and you've already done so much for us, you shouldn't have to drag us along with you wherever you go." She swiped at her eyes.

"No." I said firmly. So firmly, Rachel's head snapped up in shock. "I won't leave you guys behind. That's not what friends do. We're in this together. I'm gonna bring you guys to Max and she's going to take you guys in as part of the family just like everyone else. No questions asked. And that's that."

Rachel smiled and Herbie placed a hand on my shoulder as a thanks. I could tell they were both relieved to know that I was staying, no matter what.

"Family..." I murmured, thinking back on what I said. I jumped to my feet. "That's it!" I whooped excitedly. Rachel and Herbie nearly fell backwards.

"What are you yelling about?" Herbie grumbled, covering the ear that was closest to me.

"I know where we're gonna go." I announced.

"Where?" Rachel asked curiously and I grinned.

"Arizona."

**AN:** Hey, guys! I'm really sleepy right now... I hope you liked the chapter (Gazzy's so adorable!). R&REVIEW! -Owl.


	11. Bathroom Break

**_Maximum Ride - Episode 10: Bathroom Break_**

**-Angel-**

"How do you guys pay for this stuff?" I asked, taking a big bite of the ham and cheese sandwich in my hands.

"Oh, that's easy. We can do all sorts of flips and tricks, so we just put out a hat on a street corner and humans give us money!" Kit explained and I giggled. Kit had black hair, black cat ears and a black cat tail that flicked back and forth as we ate.

Meanwhile, her older, twin sister, Kat, was the complete opposite. White hair, white cat ears and a white cat tail that was wrapped around her crossed legs calmly. But besides that their faces, figures and height were the exact same. That, and their deep, true sapphire eyes.

"We've been doing it for a while, so we know what people like to see. What will get us the most money." Kat added.

"How long ago did you escape Itex?" I looked at Kat and she shrugged.

"Nine months maybe?"

After breakfast in the park, we had to move because people started showing up. We were on the roof of a sky scraper, having lunch as Kit and Kat answered the last of my questions after their explanation of how they escaped Itex and why they had searched me out now.

The whole time I searched through their thoughts looking for the tiniest hint that they were working for the whitecoats, but there was nothing. They were nice and they were just trying to survive.

I finished my sandwich and stood up, brushing off my bottom. I was still trying to figure out how I was going to get back to Paris. I could never fly that far, I wasn't big enough, but I couldn't afford a plane ticket and it wasn't like I could take the bus.

"So are you planning on sticking around for much longer?" Kit spoke up curiously, her mouth full of cheese, ham and bread.

"I don't know..." I admitted, feeling a little embarrassed.

"Well, those whitecoats are going to have Erasers and guards all over Florida looking for you. It'll be pretty exciting wherever you are." Kat's eyes twinkled secretly and I tilted my head to the side.

"What does that mean for you two?" I didn't want to put them in danger or anything.

"Things get boring around here, you know. And we know this city better then anyone!" Kit grinned.

"The point is, we want to help. Wherever you need to go, we can help you get there." Kat rolled her eyes playfully at her twin, who stuck her tongue out at the older girl even more playfully.

"But we'll be attacked. I can't let you put yourselves at risk for me." I shook my head at them and they looked at each other, before looking at me again.

"It's not like we've never been in fights before." Kit blinked at me.

"We had to fight to get out of Itex. We've been in a few scuffles since then. And now we're gonna help you get back to the Flock. You guys are the best chance we've got. Mutants everywhere are counting on you guys to shut down the Schools for good. This is just us doing our part." Kat told me, putting her hand on my shoulder.

"Well... O-okay. I guess if you want to." I gave in. If they wanted to help so badly, why not?

"Alright! Now that that's settled, where are we heading?" Kit jumped up happily and looked at me.

I sighed. "I have to get back to Paris. That's where I got separated from the others and I don't know where else to look. So, Paris is where I need to start."

"Oh, that's a problem..." Kit said, scratching the back of her head.

"There's no way you'll be able to sneak onto an airplane, but I think I may know of another way..." Kat's eyebrows furrowed as she thought.

"Really?" I turned to her hopefully.

"Dodge Island in Miami. The port there has plenty of ships sailing in and out all the time. We can easily find a cruise ship for you to sneak onto. You could be in Paris before you know it." Kat suggested.

"That's great!" I cheered. "How do we get there?"

"Bus hopping would be the fastest way to go." Kit jumped in and Kat nodded.

"Do we have enough money for that and food?" I asked worriedly.

"We should. And if we don't we can always walk a few miles." Kit looked really energetic.

"Okay. Where can we get on a bus?" I looked between the twins. Kat bit her lip and Kit's eyebrows furrowed as she thought.

"Uh, probably the west side of the city." Kit looked at Kat for confirmation and Kat nodded. "Yeah, that's right."

"We'll take you there now and we can get something to eat before getting on the first bus." Kat decided. "Come on." She waved to me to follow her and we started running.

We made it to the west side of the city by late afternoon. We went to a gas station near by because all the running had made us hungry and the bus didn't leave for another twenty minutes. We picked out some real food, junk food and some water too.

We gobbled it all up, sitting on the curb near the bus stop, and then we decided to tell each other some jokes so we wouldn't be bored. We laughed and laughed and I was really glad that Kit and Kat had come to find me, because if they hadn't I would've been all alone with no idea where to go.

Several buses appeared and we got up to see if any of them was the one we were supposed to take. I told Kit and Kat to look on one side while I looked on the other. I squeezed through the legs of adults and passed kids smaller and bigger then me to look at the buses with no trouble. But then I looked ahead of me.

There were two, really big guys looking through the crowd like Max did when she looked for Erasers. One of them spotted me and grinned. He hit his friend on the shoulder and pointed at me.

My heart started thumping really hard and I backed up, scared. I turned around and ran into the crowd, hoping that the adults, who were much bigger then me, would hide me. I ran until I came out on the other side and I stumbled a bit, tripping on a man's big foot, but I got up and kept running.

I saw Kit and Kat looking at a bus. They looked at each other and shook their heads. I looked over my shoulder and I saw the Erasers pushing people out of the way.

I turned back around and ran as fast as I could. "Go!" I yelled at them over the noise. "Get on the bus!"

They looked confused, but I grabbed Kit's hand and she grabbed Kat's hand and I pulled them onto the bus with me. I brought them to the back of the bus, like Max did whenever we got on the bus, and looked out the window.

The Erasers were still trying to get through the crowd and the bus driver closed the doors. I watched them until I couldn't see the bus stop anymore and then I turned around to sit in my spot.

"That was close." I slumped over, crossing my legs on my chair.

"Yeah, I didn't even realize they were there until I saw you looking at them through the window." Kit looked worried and Kat looked like she was thinking really hard.

"I didn't think they'd send people out this far so soon." She mumbled, thinking to herself.

We spent the rest of the bus ride being quiet and even sleeping when we decided who was taking watch. I didn't know how long we were on the bus, but when Kat woke me up, she and Kit were pulling me to my feet.

"Angel, come on!" Kat hissed. "We've gotta go; there are Erasers outside!"

I rubbed my eyes and blinked a couple times. I looked outside and I saw three Erasers waiting at the door as people got off. I looked at the back of the bus and ran to the back wall. There was a door there and I pulled on the handle until the door swung open.

"This way!" I whispered, waving them out ahead of me. They jumped out and I followed, letting the door slam shut behind me.

"Look, there!" Kit pointed to the big, metal things that were really parts of roller-coasters.

"Good thinking. We can hide in the crowds at the amusement park. Let's go!" Kat said, leading the way. We ran across the street to the entrance of the amusement park. I looked back and I saw five Erasers crossing the street.

"Over there!" Kit grabbed our hands and brought us over to a big, school-group of kids that were getting a tour of park. We wouldn't need tickets or money if we stayed with the group until we got through the gates.

"Now if you'll all come with me. Come on, stick together. Stay with your buddy." A very bored sounding guy in a park uniform said, leading the way past the gates.

Kit, Kat and I pushed our way to the middle of the group where we would blend in better. Kit and Kate had beanies covering their ears and their tails were wrapped around their waists like belts and hidden under their sweaters. I still looked dirty because I hadn't changed clothes since the explosion, but I had managed to clean up in the bathroom of the last gas station we went to.

I felt someone tap me on the shoulder and I looked over to find Kat. She pointed to the bathrooms that were hidden to the side of the gates in shadows. I nodded and the three of us ducked out of the crowd and ran into the girls bathroom.

"In here!" I held open the door of the big stall to let Kit and Kat in and then I closed and locked it. I turned around and Kit and Kat were already crouching on the baby-changing station. I followed their lead and stood on the toilet. We waited for a long while and we were about to get down when we heard the door slam open.

"Check those over there, I'll get this side." A rough voice growled and I had to hold my breath to keep from yelping when I heard stall doors slamming open. My heart was thumping and I felt my knees wobble, threatening to slip and send my foot into the toilet.

"There's nothing on this side." Another voice announced.

"This is the last one." The first voice answered lowly.

I squeezed my eyes shut as I heard him take a breath, ready to kick the door in, and then a door slammed open.

"Sir! This is the ladies room. I am going to have to ask you and your friend to leave." A strong, lady voice called out.

I almost fell off the toilet in relief. I could here the Erasers grumbling and I heard them leave. After a moment the security lady followed and I jumped down from the toilet. Kit and Kat jumped down from the changing table and we hugged each other because we had been so scared.

"That was scary." Kit murmured when we pulled apart.

"Yeah, we've got to be really careful. We should stay here until we know we've lost those guys, so we can always lose them in a crowd if we need to. We'll never make it to Miami if they're chasing us." Kat tried to look calm for her little sister, but I could see her hands shaking. But that's okay, because mine were too.

"You're right. We need a plan." I agreed.

"So, what do we do?" Kit looked between Kat and I.

"Well... First we need to get out of this bathroom." I started. "And then we need to kick some Eraser butt."

**AN:** Go, Angel! She's definitely taking after Max. Anyways, I hope you liked the chapter! For those of you who are wondering which characters are OCs, I'm going to put up a list eventually, but I want to do them all at once, so it won't be up for a while. R&REVIEW! -Owl.


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